Sidi MTB Gravel shoes - more MTB or Gravel?

[Mattman]

I ride MTB, mainly XC, and am in the market for some new shoes. I came across the Sidi MTB/Gravel shoes, which are pretty comfortable and seem a lot more MTB focused than Gravel. The shop consultant couldn’t tell me what qualifies them as gravel - maybe just the suede effect of the side material but surely that’s ok for XC too? Does anyone know if there would be any compromise to XC performance using a shoe like this that also caters for gravel? Has anyone had experience with this shoe?

Couldn’t find a single decent online review by the way. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by Mattman
Detail added

[milky4130]

Can you define XC? as in XCO? do you race or just fun ride? if that gravel shoe doesn't have a carbon sole I think performance will be compromised with the loss of power transfer through the pedal stroke.

[DieselnDust]

Lost shoes labelled as “gravel “ don’t have the ability to fit toe studs to assist with hike a bike up muddy inclines usually found on old style XCO courses and cyclocross courses.

they also cost more thanks to gravel being all the rage right now.

[Steady Spin]

10 hours ago, milky4130 said:

Can you define XC? as in XCO? do you race or just fun ride? if that gravel shoe doesn't have a carbon sole I think performance will be compromised with the loss of power transfer through the pedal stroke.

How much power?

[HenkD]

Think this answer is reserved for a Friday 🤣

[Sid the Sloth]

How much do they weigh?

[Mattman]

14 hours ago, milky4130 said:

Can you define XC? as in XCO? do you race or just fun ride? if that gravel shoe doesn't have a carbon sole I think performance will be compromised with the loss of power transfer through the pedal stroke.

Most rides will be between 30km and 80km and I mix it up between bike parks (Wolwespruit, Red Barn, Northern Farms etc) and then so group rides out towards Pretoria East which is a lot more gravel/ non technical trails. I do race a bit, did Berg and Bush recently, do single day races when I can like trailseekers, usually place in top 20% so relatively competitive but far from the podium 😅
apparently these shoes weigh around 450g each, don’t have carbon soles. But going carbon soles usually doubles the price and does it really make that much difference??

[Danger Dassie]

3 hours ago, Steady Spin said:

How much power?

None, the so called compromise is really not a thing as mostly used for stiffness. Unless you're an elite level athlete and/or like bling. In fact arguably the converse could be argued for most amateur riders as too stiff a sole can cause issues on a ride. 

Typically gravel type shoes are a combination of a road biased sole that's not as thick with a less aggressive tread/lugs and a slightly pared down upper, ie thinner materials. Closer to a race MTB shoe like Shimano XC9 or SWorks.
Most wouldn't know the difference in function and quite happily use their MTB shoes for both. 

The shoes you've posted look like a scaled down MTB touring shoe and the gravel indication would be the low profile sole. Would say that they're perfectly fine for MTB XC use. 

 

[Danger Dassie]

1 minute ago, Mattman said:

Most rides will be between 30km and 80km and I mix it up between bike parks (Wolwespruit, Red Barn, Northern Farms etc) and then so group rides out towards Pretoria East which is a lot more gravel/ non technical trails. I do race a bit, did Berg and Bush recently, do single day races when I can like trailseekers, usually place in top 20% so relatively competitive but far from the podium 😅
apparently these shoes weigh around 450g each, don’t have carbon soles. But going carbon soles usually doubles the price and does it really make that much difference??

No.

[Jewbacca]

The real question is how often do you walk around in your shoes on the trails/gravel while out riding?

The lower profile/ minimalist sole will likely offer less protection to the shoe while going clippety cloppety near your bike and scratching up the sole.

Otherwise I would say the functionality of the shoe is probably just as good as anything else

[RossTopher]

if they're comfortable, have grip, cleat placement is far enough back, and the closure is reliable, then thats all you need to consider. maybe the most important thing is to look at Sidi's closure vs a normal boa in terms of reliability, replacement etc.

how much of the name is marketing. I have a pair of Sidi Swifts, which are supposedly an indoor shoe, and they have survived mud, rain and rivers, and a lot of walking.

[DieselnDust]

21 hours ago, Mattman said:

I ride MTB, mainly XC, and am in the market for some new shoes. I came across the Sidi MTB/Gravel shoes, which are pretty comfortable and seem a lot more MTB focused than Gravel. The shop consultant couldn’t tell me what qualifies them as gravel - maybe just the suede effect of the side material but surely that’s ok for XC too? Does anyone know if there would be any compromise to XC performance using a shoe like this that also caters for gravel? Has anyone had experience with this shoe?

Couldn’t find a single decent online review by the way. 

This is just a mid tier carbon reinforced plastic soled MTB shoe with a synthetic suede outer. It doesn’t come with toe spikes but can fit them.

if a narrow shoe suits your feet then these or giro empires are probably on the same price range and fit similar shaped feet

[milky4130]

7 hours ago, Mattman said:

Most rides will be between 30km and 80km and I mix it up between bike parks (Wolwespruit, Red Barn, Northern Farms etc) and then so group rides out towards Pretoria East which is a lot more gravel/ non technical trails. I do race a bit, did Berg and Bush recently, do single day races when I can like trailseekers, usually place in top 20% so relatively competitive but far from the podium 😅
apparently these shoes weigh around 450g each, don’t have carbon soles. But going carbon soles usually doubles the price and does it really make that much difference??

ok so you are a Marathon type event rider i.e. XCM, self classified as competitive so like to race to do your best and not the Cross Country XCO Nino Shurter type racer. What do you currently have? for me going from Carbon to Nylon is a big no no, you will feel the difference immediately. When I used the  nylon sold shoes for training rides it felt like that my foot was wrapping around the pedal.

[Mattman]

1 hour ago, milky4130 said:

ok so you are a Marathon type event rider i.e. XCM, self classified as competitive so like to race to do your best and not the Cross Country XCO Nino Shurter type racer. What do you currently have? for me going from Carbon to Nylon is a big no no, you will feel the difference immediately. When I used the  nylon sold shoes for training rides it felt like that my foot was wrapping around the pedal.

That's about right. I currently use First Ascent Domestique shoes, which probably don't offer the best power transfer (but have honestly been very comfortable over many long rides over 3 years) so the Sidi will surely be an upgrade with at least carbon reinforced. 

When you used the nylon shoes for training, did you see any decrease in performance - lower speed/ power or having to put more effort relatively? 

[Mattman]

3 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

The real question is how often do you walk around in your shoes on the trails/gravel while out riding?

The lower profile/ minimalist sole will likely offer less protection to the shoe while going clippety cloppety near your bike and scratching up the sole.

Otherwise I would say the functionality of the shoe is probably just as good as anything else

I vey seldom walk around in any riding shoes. When riding, I try to stay clipped in at all times but there is the odd occasion where you may have to walk. And besides that, maybe walking 10 metres into the coffee shop after a good ride  

Although thinking about it now, W2W may be on the list for this year and apparently the Gantouw portage is back into the route for 2022, so clippety cloppety will be needed!

[milky4130]

37 minutes ago, Mattman said:

That's about right. I currently use First Ascent Domestique shoes, which probably don't offer the best power transfer (but have honestly been very comfortable over many long rides over 3 years) so the Sidi will surely be an upgrade with at least carbon reinforced. 

When you used the nylon shoes for training, did you see any decrease in performance - lower speed/ power or having to put more effort relatively? 

Definitely felt the difference in pedal power transfer efficiency, also I was more conscious / afraid of fracturing bones in my feet again like I did before, with carbon soles I don't feel worried at all.

P.S. do not take those new shoes to day 1 of W2W for Gantow Pass.